Vatican, Jan 7, 2025: During his Wednesday General Audience at the Vatican, Pope Leo launched a new catechesis series dedicated to the Second Vatican Council and a renewed reading of its documents, following the Jubilee Year’s reflection on the mysteries of the life of Jesus. He underlined that the Council continues to guide the Church today.
“It is the Magisterium [of the Second Vatican Council] that still constitutes the guiding star of the Church’s journey today.”
The Pope described the initiative as “a valuable opportunity to rediscover the beauty and the importance of this ecclesial event,” recalling the words spoken by Pope John Paul II at the conclusion of the Jubilee 2000: “I feel more than ever in duty bound to point to the Council as the great grace bestowed on the Church in the twentieth century.”
Pope Leo noted that in 2025 the Church commemorated the 60th anniversary of Vatican II, together with the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. While the historical distance from Vatican II is not great, he observed that the generation of bishops and theologians who took part in the Council is no longer present.
Returning to the Council’s texts
“Therefore, while we hear the call not to let its prophecy fade, and to continue to seek ways and means to implement its insights, it will be important to get to know it again closely, and to do so not through ‘hearsay’ or interpretations that have been given, but by rereading its documents and reflecting on their content.”
He recalled Pope Benedict XVI’s 2005 observation that “as the years have passed, the Conciliar Documents have lost none of their timeliness; indeed, their teachings are proving particularly relevant to the new situation of the Church and the current globalized society.”
Referring to the opening of Vatican II on October 11, 1962, Pope Leo cited Pope John XXIII, who described it as the dawn of a new day for the Church, adding that the work of the bishops gathered from all continents “did indeed pave the way for a new ecclesial season.”
A renewed vision of God, Church, and world
“After a rich biblical, theological, and liturgical reflection spanning the twentieth century,” Pope Leo said, “Vatican II rediscovered the face of God as the Father who, in Christ, calls us to be His children,” while presenting the Church as a mystery of communion and unity, renewing the liturgy, and placing the active participation of the People of God at the heart of ecclesial life.
He added that the Council also helped the Church open herself to the modern world through dialogue and shared responsibility, working toward a more just and fraternal society.
Quoting Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Ecclesiam suam, Pope Leo recalled that the Church “has something to say, a message to give, a communication to make,” seeking truth through ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, and dialogue with people of good will.
“This spirit, this inner disposition,” he said, “must characterize our spiritual life and the pastoral action of the Church,” as it continues to respond to today’s challenges as “vigilant interpreters of the signs of the times, joyful proclaimers of the Gospel, courageous witnesses of justice and peace.”
He recalled the words of then-Bishop Albino Luciani, later Pope John Paul I, who wrote: “As always, there is a need to achieve not so much organizations or methods or structures, but a deeper and more widespread holiness.”
Pope Leo also cited Pope Francis, who said the Council helped the Church “restore primacy to God, to what is essential: to a Church madly in love with its Lord and with all the men and women whom he loves.”
Concluding, the Pope invited a renewed engagement with the Council’s texts.
“As we approach the documents of Vatican II and rediscover their prophetic and contemporary relevance, we welcome the rich tradition of the life of the Church, and, at the same time, we question ourselves about the present and renew our joy in running towards the world to bring it the Gospel of the kingdom of God, a kingdom of love, justice, and peace.”
Courtesy: Vatican News